All posts filed under: England

Ah, university. How distant the library shelves and lecture halls seem to me now. But I can still clearly remember one Sunday afternoon when I was hit by a mid-term crisis, in the thick of deadlines and lectures and seminars and year abroad applications.

“It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail of to watch it, we are going back from whence we came.”

We crossed the county border into Cornwall and arrived in Bude to what seemed like a campsite sent from heaven. After five days of slopping through mud at Somersault Festival, we welcomed the rolling clifftop fields of long grass with wide open arms. A storm was brewing, as we discovered from the blustery gusts of air surging over the hedge from the sea below and whipping over the canvas of our small tent. It all seemed very exciting and adventurous, to be camping at the bottom of a field, on a sea-facing cliff that was soon to be exposed to tempestuous winds. That is, until our tent pole snapped.

The first stop on our road trip along the south-west coast of England was Somersault, a music, adventure and well-being festival set in the heart of North Devon’s beautiful countryside. The photos we had seen from the previous year (also the festival’s first year) awakened memories of our childhood summer holidays, with people swinging from trees into a sparkling river, scrambling over rocks and dozing in long grass under the sun. With this nostalgic setting, and the line-up of all the indie folk/rock bands you could dream of (Bombay Bicycle Club, Angus & Julia Stone and Bear’s Den to name a few), we booked our tickets right away.

As a fervent lover of Lovebox, having frequented the festival’s fields of love and good vibes for two years running, when I heard about its new one-day addition to the weekend I had to check it out. Although the park remained the same, with the familiar flags and vans of funky food, a much more chilled-out, laid-back vibe floated around the fields of Citadel. Instead of pulsing tents of house music competing to be heard, there’s the soulful sound of Bear’s Dens’ acoustics drifting through the trees, or the soft babble of laughter coming from the comedy tent.

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that I’ve spent the past two weeks driving and camping along the south west coast of England. It all started when I found an article about the best secret beaches in the UK earlier this year. From the many photographs of sandy coves, rocky islets and pebble beaches materialised the idea of driving along the South West Coastal Trail, down the foot of England, in my little Fiat 500.

With a mind-boggling array of sights to see, from mosques and tombs to gardens and souks, it’s no wonder that Marrakech is one of the busiest cities in Africa. This is a place where history is still very much alive, with architectural marvels around every corner, forging their creators’ presence into the walls of the city.

Although this Balearic island is renowned for being the party capital of the world, there’s more to it than fist-pumping to an ageing DJ’s house music and sleeping off your hangover on the beach. Discover the laid-back, care-free Ibicencan vibe brought to the island by hedonistic hippies that arrived in the 70s.

The first island destination on our Croatian journey was Korcula Old Town, a fortified settlement across the bay from the Orebic peninsula. It shared the same medieval feel as Dubrovnik, with a network of narrow stepped streets surrounded by the same ancient walls and white stone towers lined with battlements.

Although my trip to this cosmopolitan metropolis was a couple of years ago now, it was an unforgettable experience. It is the only city in the world to spill over two continents, forming a bridge between Europe and the Middle East. It is also home to a community which is as colourful as its history.

Dubrovnik has a lot to offer when it comes to cultural and historical interest, rivalling the Renaissance likes of Florence and Venice. It is one of the world’s best preserved medieval walled cities, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is featured on HBO’s Game of Thrones.

Last summer, my boyfriend and I island-hopped along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. We had heard that this European gem, nestled between Slovenia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, was an up-and-coming hotspot not only because of the increasing number of beach festivals and boat parties, but also because of its attractively low prices and guaranteed sunshine. We travelled from the walled city of Dubrovnik up to Split, stopping off...